Percy Jackson: Shadows Rise

by SkyRunn3r

An ancient betrayal brought to light, plots amongst the Gods and a new prophecy could herald the end for the Era of the Gods, and Olympus as a whole. Annabeth and the remainder of the seven struggle to save their friends and family without Percy, he died in Tartarus. Or did he? How far will Percy go to save his family? Welcome to a darker PJO world, Enjoy!

22. Chapter 22: Twilight Of Heroes

Chapter Twenty One: Twilight of Heroes

Comment Responses:

Be Lekker: Yep, longer chapters is a longer arc…. I wouldn't be surprised if i break 300k on the first one lol. But as long as y'all are happy with the chapter length. I'm happy to write 'em, you'll just have to bear with me when they take a little longer lol. Enjoy the chapter!

Yoganksri: Lots more coming. I had to re-write this chapter so many times 22 and 23 are already half finished with PoV's. I had to move out of this chapter so it wouldn't be a giant mess lol. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

JustAnotherReader: Well first off thanks for the compliment, I work really hard to keep up the quality of the writing so I really appreciate it. Secondly Trust me *wink* I promise to provide a great romance story, so just bear with me, I swear it wont dissapoint. As for the discord I do indeed have one.

Code: h938mt5jRM

That will get you into the server if you post that in the join server section. However if you are having issues i can send it to you directly. Just request a join code via a private message. I post teasers as well as the occasional piece of artwork I'm working on, as well as ask questions when I need advice. So if you want a place to be more active in regards to hearing from me about the story, that's the place to do it. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

Anonymously96: I'm glad you liked the chapter, and yes lots of people are asking for Percabeth lol, the Dms and private messages are pretty much the same haha. However there are a fair amount of people requesting Harem as well, so i'm definitely leaning in direction. But we will have to see.

As for the whole annabeth and piper thing, that's cause they would be useless. I never really agreed with the whole Piper charmspeaks Gaea back to sleep. Not to mention Annabeth and Piper don't have any real powers so to speak of. (That would directly aid them in combat against someone who can go toe to toe with gods.) So the idea that they could cross blades with beings that can fight gods? (kinda reeks of plot armor) You have to remember Sally and her Father have the same powers over Aetherium that Percy does, but in their case they have had a lifetime to hone their use, Percy has had a month, so i think it's fair to say that neither Annabeth or Piper really stood a chance at actually fighting either of them. I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

HellRaiderS: Lol, I'm glad you liked it. To be honest I was super nervous about how people would react to that chapter. But I'm very glad it was so well received! Enjoy the new chapter, and thanks for taking the time to review!

QwertyKev: Lol Jasabeth got some hate, not that i disagree with yall on that fact haha. But you'll have to wait and see where I go with it I guess. I promise I won't disappoint.

The second half of the comment was fun to read. It's awesome that someone picked up on all those little details. The whole situation will make more sense as we move forwards, but to clarify.

In chapter nine, Zeus was concerned about the fates, or Lady Chaos herself getting involved because they had broken the ancient laws. Zeus says "This is foolish, you would risk the fates or Lady Chaos turning on us for breaking their laws".

However in Chapter eleven Nyx says "Your gods have laws they must follow, as do we Primordials, it is only you mortals who are able to act freely…" Nyx never says the laws that bind her and the primordials are the same ones the Gods are bound by. Just that they have their own laws.

But a key point to notice is that she never mentioned Lady Chaos or the Fates, simply that the laws are there to prevent the primordials from battling directly within each other's realms.

Nyx Quote: "We represent inherent forces of creation in some cases, a clash of domains, such a battle would be cataclysmic. As such it is forbidden"

Again she mentions the reason behind it, just not who imposed the laws, and that wasn't an accidental thing. So in short, to answer your question. Gods are bound by the ancient laws and are tied to the fates, titans are in a similar position. Primordials however answer only to this set of laws they mentioned, not to the fates.

So if the fates punish gods for breaking the ancient laws, what could possibly punish a primordial for breaking laws? (just some food for thought lol, have fun wracking your brain over that)

There's a chapter coming from Hestia's PoV, that delves into the events in Anatolia from her perspective, and I promise you that this question you have will make more sense once you read that chapter.

But long story short is that the offspring of the Primordials and their descendants do not have the same immunity to the fates that the primordials do.

Thanks for asking such a thought provoking question, and I hope you enjoy the newest chapter!

Capital9810: Wow, I feel bad lol. Guy says I'm dedicated to the story and then I vanish for two weeks. Clearly you jinxed me lol. (jk jk)

As for when I'll be finished, that's a tough question lol. I'm unsure if I want to do each part of Shadows Rise as its own book. Or if I should do them all within one story. I'm not even close to halfway done, maybe ¼ of the way through the story I have planned so if you're gonna wait it might be like a year before I'm done. Just based on how long it took me to get here. Sorry if you feel like im spending too much time on developing characters, but the setting is so different i felt it required some time spent on them in order for it not to feel weird when they were suddenly pushed into the dark fantasy world.

Thanks for the review and enjoy the newest chapter!

Guest: Well if you like Percabeth and Angst i guess Annabeth's PoV this chapter is gonna be like crack cocaine for you lol. Enjoy!

Elexiacharlie: Lol Doctor Brenner vibes. I like that. Thanks for the compliments and enjoy the newest chapter!

Guest: And you are my favorite reader, random guest… Nah I can't say that, All of you are equally awesome but you get a kudos for saying my story was the best on the site. That only inflated my ego a tiny tiny bit. Lol. Enjoy the chapter!

Goddamn: It will be going up on Wattpad and Archive of Our Own, however they don't let me upload documents so it means I have to copy paste and reformat every chapter -.-

Needless to say it's taking forever, but they will go up on those sites soon! For those of you that prefer to read there as opposed to Fanfiction.

Thanks for the comment and enjoy the newest chapter!

Guest: Short and to the point, never expected this many comments before the poll is even up lol. Starting to get worried about how many votes the poll is actually gonna get lol. Enjoy the chapter!

Shifufufd: Okay if the other comment was short and to the point. This is just the point xD. Gotta give it to you, you know exactly what you want hahaha. Enjoy the chapter lol!

Meryfcuckery: I will of course be writing what I think is best for the story, I really want to provide you guys with the best quality story that I can write. So hopefully everyone can trust me when I say I won't disappoint on the romance side of things. As always Ty for the review and enjoy the chapter!

Pre-Note:

I know this is already long enough with all the comments, but I suffered from some pretty terrible writer's block on this chapter and I wanted to shout out several people who helped me work through it.

-Screwthefates1806

-Meryfcuckery

-Bubbabeck

-Yoganksri

If you want a chance to have your ideas heard when I'm stuck or want suggestions feel free to join the discord as that's where i ask. Thanks guys!

Annabeth 3 Days 18 Hours After Eripus

There had been low points in Annabeth's life before Tartarus.

She had lived on the run for a while before reaching camp half-blood, she'd been captured and tortured by the titans and watched as her oldest friend was turned into a tree and then just as she got said friend back her first crush had brutally betrayed her.

She had lost friends, She had lost favor with her own mother, and Percy had been ripped away from her for six months, but nothing compared to this.

Nothing compared to the soul crushing weight that had just been placed on Annabeth's shoulders. The decision she had to make was not only going to affect herself and the other members of the prophecy, but it was also going to directly affect Percy and his sister. What should she tell the gods?

Annabeth had known Percy was still alive, she had refused to accept that he would do that to her. She knew Percy would never force her to live with his life hanging over her head. Not to mention his grandfather had all but confirmed it during his conversation with Sally. Although if that was a conversation Annabeth shuddered to think what a fight between the two would have actually looked like. The brief glimpse through the portal had shown the apartment building being ripped apart by lighting and fire, destruction on a scale she hadn't seen even during the second titan war.

But that image had only lasted for a few moments before the portal had disappeared.

Of course they were now stranded as far as Annabeth could tell in the middle of nowhere. She and Piper had been holed up in an abandoned cabin they had found along a patch of coastline. It was rustic and half hidden behind overgrown shrubs. Which made it a perfect place to get out of the cold and damp air.

A quick search revealed that the house wasn't wired with electricity and there was no phone. There was no listed number on it and even after an hour of searching there was no mail or anything that had an address of any kind.

Add to that the fact that Jason was still unconscious, and alive, if only barely. Just keeping him stable had used up most of the reserves of ambrosia and nectar Piper and Annabeth had brought with them.

So now Annabeth sat on the porch, her head hung in misery as she looked at the rotted floorboards between her feet.

A question constantly floating about in her mind as she unconsciously traced the scar on her stomach. 'Where did it all go wrong?'

Those six words had been tormenting her for the last few hours.

It felt like every decision she had made for the last year had been cursed, she had left Percy alone that night. For a few hours only to find him gone in the morning, and from that point onwards her life had been one giant downward spiral.

Between losing him for six months, only to find him again, it was like something out of a movie and of course it wasn't without its final plot twist.

One that had ended with the love of her life, literally dying for her.

Except he wasn't dead, no instead he was actually some half Ardwyr half Olympian hybrid, which had answered dozens of questions as to why he had been so much more powerful than any other demigod in their generation.

But it also raised a whole host of new questions and problems.

The most titanic of which was that he was Ardwyrian, who according to the Gods, were walking talking weapons of mass murder, that despised them and everything they stood for.

Annabeth just couldn't associate Percy with that, that goofy smile of his and those gorgeous sea green eyes weren't those of a killer. But at the same time Hades had claimed that an Ardwyr had come to the aid of one of the Tartarii. And the way Hades told the story it almost sounded like the Ardwyrian was going to stand by and let one of the Tartarii Εκδίκηση kill lady Styx.

It didn't make sense, Percy wasn't a killer. His grandfather? Oh yea Annabeth could picture him murdering puppies for kicks. He fit the description the Gods had given of the Ardwyr quite well, he sort of had the whole mentally unstable evil genius thing going for him.

Well that and he had displayed more power in a casual 'fight' than she had seen some Gods display ever. The Gods hadn't exaggerated in regards to the strength of the Ardwyr and Annabeth was beginning to suspect that Zeus had been right to call for the demigods to rally immediately. But she couldn't imagine a way in which any demigod could compete with a being like Percy's grandfather.

He had destroyed an apartment building almost casually, and if Sally had not been there to protect them then Annabeth and Piper would likely both be dead. Annabeth didn't know why, but he had wanted Estelle, clearly having some sort of plan for her and Sally.

Her eyes were stinging and she furiously rubbed at them with her forearm as she stared off of the derelict porch out over the waves.

If they hadn't been there, Sally might still be alive… she had clearly been holding back and forced to protect them. Which meant she couldn't simply flee or fight unrestrained, and her father had taken advantage of that.

Annabeth stifled a sob at the thought of what had happened to Sally as she furiously tried to find something else to think about.

Half-heartedly she took a look over the small cabin they had taken refuge in, opening the door slightly to look into the room.

The walls were sturdy, and the windows small and surprisingly intact. The building consisted of one large room, split between a kitchen with a small table jammed in the corner under a window. A ratty old couch was pushed up against the other wall. Flanked by a few bookshelves filled with dozens of dusty paperbacks.

Jason was laid out on the couch, one of the few blankets they had found draped over him as he tossed and turned in discomfort. Luckily they had stopped the bleeding before he had died in front of them.

Then they had managed to get a small fire started in the fireplace, there had been a few pieces of broken railing and a few old newspapers that had been used to get it going but soon enough it was going to be books or floorboards they started burning to keep the place warm.

Piper was sitting on the side of the small bed in the far corner, she had placed Estelle in the bed after having swaddled the child so she couldn't accidentally roll off the bed.

However Piper seemed to notice the door opening as she met Annabeth's gaze and nodded quietly before she stood up and started walking across the room to the door.

The roar of the surf crashing against the shore, the wind softly singing through the forest behind the house. It was like this place had been made for Annabeth, it smelled like sea salt and fresh air.

It was like she was standing right beside him, so close she could almost feel his arms wrapped around her.

She heard the door creak open and the soft footfalls of Piper walking across the deck as the old rotten floor boards groaned in protest.

"Hey Annabeth… sounds stupid but, how are you doing?" Piper asked as she leaned against the railing and stared out at the water.

Annabeth didn't reply instantly, instead staring out over the water sadly, "Pretty terrible Piper… I don't know what to do…" Annabeth said quietly, slowly pulling her knees into her chest as she did so.

"About Percy you mean?" Piper replied quickly.

"The gods will kill Estelle if they find out Piper…. And if they don't kill her they won't hesitate to use her against Percy. You saw Zeus, hes fucking terrified of the idea that the Tartarii are back, imagine what he's going to do if he finds out!" Annabeth practically shouted in frustration and she fought to hold back tears.

"So?" Piper asked casually. "That's if we even tell them."

Annabeth stared at Piper in shock, "Piper there's a crazed maniac after the Olympians, shouldn't we tell them? You saw what he did in a casual fight, imagine what he could do if he wanted the Olympians dead and ambushed them!"

"Don't they deserve it though? I mean you heard what they did to the Ardwyr. They massacred them in their homes, killed them because they were different and believed in different gods." Piper said in disgust.

"So we betray them? Annabeth said quietly.

"I guess that depends on how you view it, but as far as I'm concerned Percy is down there because of them. He saved you while you were saving them and he's doing what he has to for him to get back to us, we just don't know what that is…" Piper said, her voice ringing with certainty. "If we tell the Gods and they turn around and kill Estelle, who did we really betray?"

Annabeth processed that for a moment, because of course Piper was right about this. If Estelle died because Annabeth said something Percy would never forgive her. She owed her life to him, and if that meant she had to put her life at risk to protect his sister then it's what she would do.

It's the least she could do.

Annabeth sniffled slightly and let out a small laugh. "You're smarter than you let on Piper.."

Piper just grinned at her slightly and exaggeratedly flipped her hair with one free hand "Or maybe you overthink things too much Annabeth" Piper replied, her voice laden with sarcasm as she winked at her.

"... how are you so upbeat about all this…?" Annabeth asked curiously, blinking away tears as she looked out at the ocean.

"What else can we do? Sitting here and crying won't get us anywhere. And there are people relying on us. Estelle needs us, she doesn't have anyone else." Piper replied as she sighed and leaned on the railing.

Annabeth nodded and stood up slowly, stretching the stiff muscles in her back as she did so.

"You're right… again…." Annabeth said with a sigh, closing her eyes and just listening to the sounds of nature around them.

"Annabeth, you need to get some sleep… you look half dead, and your injuries still haven't fully healed. Let me take over the watch for a little while." Piper said as she nodded towards the door.

She knew she looked like hell, with dark bags under her eyes and exhaustion clearly written across her face. "In a little while…" Annabeth replied. Not wanting to talk about the horrific nightmares she suffered every time she fell asleep. Wonderful memories of the Arai, except unlike the first time, Percy was never there to save her. He was gone and she would scream for him until she woke, drenched in sweat. His name on the tip of her tongue, that is before she inevitably descended into a sobbing mess.

She refused to do that in front of Piper or Jason. Once she had gotten them back to Olympus she would sleep, or if they could find something to numb the dreams while she slept she thought to herself.

"Are you thinking about it?..." Piper asked, "Tartarus I mean… you get this distant look whenever you talk about it. A look that's written clear as day across your face right now." Piper finished with a sad look on her face.

Annabeth froze on the steps of the porch, her breath caught in her throat, so instead she grit her teeth for a moment, then nodded.

"... what was it like….?" Piper asked cautiously, her eyes fixed on the horizon. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to… but sometimes talking about it helps. I know from personal experience… a therapist… but seeing as we don't have one of those out here…" Piper said softly.

"... Awful… I don't have words to describe it piper.. Time doesn't mean anything down there. At least not like up here. The air chokes you, burns your lungs and saps your strength." Annabeth said, her voice shaking slightly.

"It's teeming with monsters, they literally burst from the ground like maggots infesting a corpse… and they are so much stronger and faster. Tartarus empowers them beyond anything they are capable of up here…." Annabeth finished, her voice barely a whisper over the crash of the surf.

"Everywhere we went they were chasing us…" Annabeth said as she shivered slightly and rubbed her arms. "If he hadn't been down there I would have died during the fall, if not a dozen times afterwards…"

Piper looked at her sadly, "Percy was with you though, you got through it though, you've got to keep that in mind. He got you out."

"Exactly! I'm not with him now! He's down there alone piper!" Annabeth replied in a raised voice as she looked at her.

"So what? You're going to sit here and cry about it? You're Annabeth Chase, You tore the entire states apart for six months while you searched everywhere for him… Are you seriously telling me that now that you know where he is you're going to give up?" Piper said calmly.

"I-its not that simple piper… and you know it.." Annabeth said with a sigh.

Piper got off the railing, turning to face her fully as she laid a hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "But it is Annabeth, do you still love him?" Piper asked

"Oh course I do! What kind of fucking question is that?" Annabeth replied angrily as she glared at Piper.

"The only question that matters, because if you really love him, then whatever is going on won't matter. He's still your Percy, no matter what he's had to do to stay alive, no matter what he's had to do." Piper replied with a slight grin.

"How can you be so sure? What if Nyx or someone else is controlling him. We don't even know how long he's been down there!" Annabeth cried out in frustration. "I can't take it anymore Piper… I just want him back…." Annabeth said softly as her vision blurred.

Tears dripped down her cheeks as she struggled not to break down and sob, she needed her rock. She needed Percy back more than she had ever needed anything in her entire life.

Piper sighed softly and wrapped her arms around Annabeth, dragging her into a hug as she whispered into Annabeth's ear. "I'm with you Annabeth, whatever you decide. I just want you to know you don't have to go through this alone… We all miss him too and If the rest of us had paid more attention in Rome, maybe none of this would have happened." Piper finished as she let go of Annabeth and took a step back.

"Whatever it takes, you're going to bring him home, just remember that Annabeth." Piper said softly.

Annabeth nodded, her mouth set in a firm line as she locked eyes with Piper. "Whatever it takes.." She repeated back as they formed a little pact of their own, she was going to save Percy, she was going to get him back. No matter what.

Piper broke out into a smile as she looked at Annabeth, "So what do we do about Estelle, Sally and you know who?" Piper asked.

"If what Sally said is correct, no one will be able to sense her Ardwyrian heritage, so she should be safe as long as we don't say anything. As for the other two, we just need to hope he doesn't find us before we get somewhere safe for Estelle." Annabeth replied.

Annabeth walked up and leaned against the railing besides Piper, "It's frustrating, the gods kept us in the dark about them. And now we need to know what they can do. I have no idea how to even fight one, it's pretty clear the direct approach wont work." Annabeth finished as she slammed her palm on the railing.

"What about the book?" Piper asked innocently, which just made Annabeth groan in frustration as she fished the book out of her jacket pocket.

"It's written in another language, or a cipher… I'm not entirely sure. If I had some time and the right resources… but it's not like I can ask my mother for help deciphering an Ardywrian journal… that'll raise too many questions." Annabeth replied, handing the book over to Piper.

"Isn't there anyone else we could ask?" Piper said as she flipped open the book to begin admiring some of the inscriptions and drawings within the journal.

Annabeth had already tried to read it front to back, upside down and right to left. All in hopes that it would reveal something, which it had not. But even she had to admit the depictions within the book were stunning. Each of them had been hand drawn, depicting various runic circles like the one in Sally's apartment, as well as postures and forms like one would have seen in a swordsman's manual.

Aside from that however Annabeth couldn't read any of it. Even the maps that were sketched on the inner pages were only fragments and didn't give enough of an area for her to tell what city let alone what state the maps were depicting.

That's if the maps were even somewhere in the United states, which Annabeth wasn't even sure of.

"Okay well that's a bunch of gibberish" Piper said with a sigh as she handed the book back to Annabeth. "But it doesn't make sense, why give us a book we can't read and then send us to the middle of nowhere?"

"Maybe it was random?" Annabeth replied.

"No, she told me she would send us somewhere safe, right before she did it. It was weird, I literally heard her in my head…." Piper said as she shuddered. "So wherever this is, I'd be willing to bet she meant to send us here…."

"Why would she send us to the middle of nowhere….." Annabeth asked in confusion. Looking around at the landscape in confusion. "It's not like there's anything or anyone here…."

"Okay so what's the plan then? We just wait?" Piper asked curiously, "It's not like Jason's going to be up and on the move anytime soon…. That fucking bastard almost killed him…"

"For now we recover our strength, then we need to find a way back to camp…" Annabeth said as she stifled a yawn.

Piper giggled at her and gently shoved Annabeth towards the door. "Alright seriously now, sleep… I've got the rest of the watch." Piper finished as Annabeth stumbled towards the door tiredly.

"Mhm, yea… sleep" Annabeth muttered as she walked into the cabin, stumbling towards the rocking chair and collapsing into it. Curling up into a ball against the well worn cushions as she closed her eyes.

The second she closed her eyes, sleep took her, dragging her into the realm of Morpheus as she was forced to relive her time in Tartarus. Alone, and without Percy.

Thalia 4 Days and 30 Minutes After Eripus

Thalia sat bolt upright, gasping for air as clumps of mud and dirty water went in every direction, she struggled to her feet, coughing up copious amounts of liquid and spitting dirt out of her mouth. She coughed as she drew in a ragged breath, the heat of the air itself making her choke for a moment before she ever so slowly managed to get control of her breathing again.

The air felt alive, almost charged with power as Thalia peered about the smoky haze, an after effect of the explosion that had knocked her and Leo clean off their feet had left Thalia feeling like she had been hit by a baseball bat, everywhere on her entire body. All at once.

It hurt, a lot. But she was a daughter of Zeus and the lieutenant of the hunt, she couldn't afford to cry in pain right now she thought to herself. Instead she grit her teeth and forced her limbs to respond, half stumbling half dragging herself up a muddy slope, away from the beach.

The scene before her was like something out of a war film, the ground was pockmarked with craters and chunks of debris. The hazy air was alive with flecks of gold, and the ground was practically covered in it. The remains of hundreds of dead monsters, possibly more.

Whatever had been fighting in the middle of the battlefield was gone, their battle over and finished with. Thalia however, held no delusions that the danger had passed, whatever had caused the destruction was not dead, and Thalia was pretty certain that if her and Leo ran into it, there wouldn't be much left of the pair of them when it was finished.

"Shit, Leo…." Thalia almost whispered as she looked around for the little annoying elf, panicking slightly as she couldn't spot him immediately. They had landed in a small depression perhaps fifty feet from the beach. Luckily for them, the ground was soft, even more so now that the rain had been hammering away at it for so long. Unfortunately, it turned the area into a quagmire of mud and water, leaving Thalia submerged to her knees.

Which was made all the more difficult by the storm which sent the clouds of smoke and debris swirling across the field. Luckily for Thalia Leo was relatively easy to find, having been knocked out cold similarly to her. However unlike her, Leo wasn't as gracefully laid out, instead having ended up half buried in mud, His face pressed into ground and his ass sticking up clean into the air as he laid in what Thalia could only have described as an 'uncomfortable' position.

"Leo!" Thalia hissed as she crouched down beside him, giving him a rough shake by the shoulder as she listened for any sound that would signal something had found the two demigods. She really didn't feel like fighting anything right now, not to mention she would have to protect the younger demigod if it did come to a fight.

Leo just groaned again and mumbled something unintelligible as Thalia roughly shook him by the shoulder.

"For the love of Hera…" Thalia all but snarled as sparks jumped off her skin and she laid both hands on Leo's shoulders and gave him a rough shake as his hair stood straight up on end. Electricity crackling

"WAKE UP YOU LITTLE GREMLIN!" Thalia shouted at him as Leo let out a shriek of surprise, the shock Thalia had given him probably stung pretty bad, but Thalia was more concerned about getting turned into paste by a titan killing monstrosity.

"AHHHHHHHH THAT HURT!" Leo shouted out, his limbs flailing about as his eye and cheek twitched uncontrollably.

"Better than you drowning in the mud…" Thalia replied grimly as she held out her hand to Leo, and dragged him to his feet.

"Okay, maybe but only a little.. Why couldn't you just, you know, wake me up like a normal person instead of shocking me like you're trying to raise the dead?" Leo asked, rubbing his arm in discomfort with his free hand.

"Maybe if you woke up like a normal person I wouldn't have to shock you, but then again if you want to see what a real 'shock' looks like we can always give it a try? Or you could shut up and not whine like a little bitch about everything." Thalia said offhandedly as she started to move in a low crouch towards the top of one of the hills around them.

"What are you doing!?" Leo hissed as he moved along behind her, his eyes darting around the field as he nervously played with a hammer he had pulled from a loop on his belt.

Thalia had to repress every urge to strangle Leo then and there, and instead focused on finding her target, or rather the target she wanted to avoid at all costs. Which you would think would have been easy, just look for the dangerous looking individual that had killed a few titans.

No problem.

Except for the fact that there was an entire army of monsters running wild across the battlefield, looks of abject terror plastered across their faces as they ran in every direction. An entire army of chickens with their heads cut off. Right before her, dozens of monsters ran into each other in their frantic rush to get away from the storm and whatever waited for them inside it.

This was made worse by the nearly constant strikes of lighting that were battering the field, accompanied by high winds, torrential downpour and hail the size of baseballs. So needless to say, Thalia felt like she was watching a meat grinder, a monster meat grinder.

Golden dust and blood was everywhere, and the monsters that didn't die at the hands of the storm were just as likely to die at the hands of their allies, trampled to death under the feet of dozens of other panicked monsters.

However, the sound of battle was carrying on the wind, and she could hear the thunderous impacts and terrified screams of monsters hidden from view by the storm. Whatever was killing them was doing so with brutal efficiency and she had to admit it was slightly unnerving to see hundreds of monsters running away in terror.

It was pandemonium, but Thalia didn't see any Titans and more importantly whatever it was they had been fighting was out of sight, and obviously still occupied.

Which meant, for the moment the coast was clear.

"Alright look, we need to find Clarisse and the other campers before this shit gets any more out of hand than it already is." Thalia said quickly as she checked over her weapons, Aegis and her spear were still on her person.

Unfortunately her huntress's bow was gone, no doubt somewhere on the field, dropped during the explosion that had sent her and Leo flying.

"Okay, and when we find her. What then? Clarisse isn't going to listen just because we say pretty please" Leo replied. "Neither will Drew, you saw both of them during the councilors meeting, they're out for blood."

"Then I don't say pretty please" Thalia replied as sparks leapt off her skin and she clenched her fists in anger. Clarisse was putting every camper she had taken out of camp with her in mortal danger. Not only were they in danger, but the camp was in even more danger with so many of its fighters now trapped on this side of the battlefield.

Some angry titan killing war machine between them and their home. Between them and their family. Thank the Gods the hunters were in camp, because at least it meant that Phoebe and Atlanta had a few other veteran demigods to back them up while they tried to keep the camp safe.

From this distance Thalia couldn't make out any details of the camp, but enough monsters had scattered in that direction that Thalia knew the camp was likely under attack. No doubt her fellow hunters were fighting for their lives, and the lives of the campers who had remained there, at this very moment.

"We've spent enough time standing around, let's move. Stay low and if you see anything that looks like it could blast a Titan to the moon, take cover. Otherwise let's just get to the Roman camp as fast as possible." Thalia said angrily as she started to walk towards the beach.

Following the shore would be the quickest way to get to the Roman encampment, and while Thalia was nowhere near Clarisse intellectually, to even suggest that was insulting her own intelligence. But, Thalia would have led the hunters along the edge of the lake, where the ground was lower and flatter.

Both hiding her approach and making the trek itself easier. So Thalia figured that following her gut was as good a choice as any.

For several minutes she and Leo moved at a rapid pace across the sandy beach, staying low enough behind the dunes that they were effectively invisible unless you looked up the beach from the shore.

Thalia heard the screams, the shouts of anger and the clash of weapons long before she saw the demigods. But she knew that they had finally found their target, breaking into a sprint and shaking off the unease she was feeling.

Thalia reached the top of the nearest sand dune, her spear in one hand and aegis already appearing as she lifted it up and blocked a stray arrow. The metallic clang rang out loud and clear as the arrow sent sparks flying as it was deflected off into the darkness.

A crack of thunder roared out around her as the winds began to pick up in intensity, the lighting illuminating the battle unfolding before her.

The Roman encampment sat several hundred feet away, completely surrounded by a literal sea of monsters. The romans were formed up on the walls and in front of the main gate. Valiantly holding out against superior numbers. But Thalia could already see several Giants and two vicious looking Drakon's headed towards their formations.

A series of dull thuds echoed out across the field as a half dozen golden ballista bolts slammed into the ranks of the monsters. The Impacts were devastating, but seconds later they exploded, sending a wave of searing hot gold and iron tearing through the close packed horde.

Directly ahead of her nearly four dozen Greek warriors were locked in combat with a large group of monsters, they had seemingly pulled away from the main force assaulting the Romans and engaged the campers.

Even from this distance Thalia could see that not a single one of the campers was holding back, all of them were in the thick of the fight. Rallying around a much larger bulky figure wearing her signature red plumed helm and holding a spear that crackled with electricity.

"KILL EM ALL!" came the signature war cry of Clarisse as she led the demigods against the monstrous forces. However, they were outnumbered and clearly outgunned. A situation Thalia and Leo could solve pretty quickly.

"Let's go Leo!" Thalia called out as she rushed down the side of the sand dune, not wasting a moment as she plunged right into the thick of combat.

Aegis slammed into the face of a Telkhine as it lunged at her, mouth open and fangs bared wide. She followed that up by spinning to her left and letting the Telkhine collapse to the ground as Thalia crushed its throat with her boot.

Not slowing in the slightest she rushed forwards, taking a half step to one side as she avoided a large club, then drove her spear clean through the chest of a cyclops. A grin splitting her face as a bolt of lighting dropped from the sky. Slamming into the cyclops as for a moment he glowed brighter than any lightbulb.

Then the monster exploded in a shower of golden light as Thalia heard dozens of Greek voices raised in cheer as the monsters let loose roars of anger.

A pair of cyclops rushed towards her, weapons raised high as they roared, Thalia just slammed her spear off of Aegis and snapped it into a defensive position as she grinned at the two.

The first club was swung at her head, as Thalia went into a slide across the muddy ground, throwing her head and shoulders backwards like she was playing a deadly game of limbo, right underneath the club.

Thalia thrust her spear out ahead of herself, plunging it deep into the monster's stomach as it let loose a howl of pain. However Thalia didn't stop there, letting go of the spear and sliding right through the creature's legs.

The cyclops bent over and grasped at the spear in its stomach with both hands as Thalia rolled over, and scrabbled in the mud for an instant before she sprinted right at the creature's backside.

Her reflexes honed by her time spent with Artemis, and enhanced by the hunters blessing kept her safe as she nimbly darted past a wild swing from the second cyclops and practically ran straight up the back of the first. Taking advantage of its position while it was bent over trying to rip out her spear.

Leaping off its shoulders she almost felt like she was flying through the air for a moment as she got a clear glimpse of the battle above the monsters heads. It stretched for at least a kilometer along the front side of the roman encampment.

For a moment she was weightless, then gravity took hold and she started to plummet back down to the ground, spinning in the air as she did so until she faced back towards the cyclops below her.

Then like a meteor impact she slammed the rim of her shield into the monster's head with all the force she could muster as she fell through the air. With a crunch, Aegis smashed into the monster's skull, the bronze edge nearly splitting its head in two before the monster dissolved into a cloud of golden dust.

Temporarily obscuring Thalia from the other Cyclops who peered into the cloud in shock, waving its free hand as if to clear the cloud of golden dust.

Only to receive Thalia's spear to its large eye as a reward, sending it crashing to the ground dead in an instant.

However even as Thalia dispatched the two, several more rushed forwards to take their place, the screams of the monsters drowning out everything around her as she fell into a sort of trance. Her spear and shield worked in perfect harmony as she fought, the air crackling with electricity as it powered her strikes, feeling monster after monster in a frenzy.

However, she could help but notice Leo, wreathed in flames as he rushed to keep up with her. Hurling fireballs at anything that moved close to him, his other hand swinging the small hammer around with deadly accuracy. Smashing skulls and joints to smithereens with a blow or two.

The heat radiating off the younger demigod was intense, Thalia felt like she had been standing outside in the blazing sun. But strangely enough, it wasn't uncomfortable, no instead the aches and pains in her body slowly faded.

During the fight Thalia started to notice the lack of a certain monster.

She had heard them for sure, Hellhounds and big ones based on the volume of the howls which had started just before the battle had begun. But she had yet to actually see one of them, which was strange. Hellhounds loved killing demigods, she had never really understood why, monsters were of course inherently evil. But hellhounds actually seemed to take pleasure in the fear they instilled in their prey.

So Naturally a battle like this would have normally attracted hundreds of them, and her instincts as a huntress were kicking in. She wasn't sure why it was important but her gut was telling her that the missing hellhounds were important.

Not that Thalia really had a chance to think about it as she was forced onto the defensive by a group of earthborn. Dozens of rocks and chunks of earth smaller into Aegis in rapid succession.

The impacts alone made it feel like her arm had shattered, but the force of each blow was actually knocking her farther and farther back each time. The slippery ground gave way under the intense force the creatures were exerting.

Suddenly Thalia felt an intense wave of heat roar past her, the ground sizzling and the air becoming so hot it stole her breath away. Unfortunately the sudden flash of light left her nearly half blind as she stumbled backwards blinking furiously and rubbing at her eyes.

"Fuck sorry!" Leo shouted out as he rushed in front of her, blasting a giant in the face with a torrent of flames, unleashed from his hand. "Still trying to figure this out, might have gone a little overboard there…" Leo said with a half shrug.

Thalia felt the vein in her forehead pulse as she turned away from Leo and thrust her spear into the air. Reveling in the feeling of power as the air took on the distinct smell of ozone.

For a second nothing happened as the pressure in the air spiked, then, suddenly as if someone had flipped a switch the skies exploded.

Lighting raced across the clouds in every direction, and thunder rumbled ominously as the devastation rained from the skies. Bolts of lightning slamming into the monster ranks all around them as Thalia grit her teeth in concentration, feeling steam wafting off her skin as the rain water hitting her skin evaporated on contact.

She saw many of the Greek demigods had rushed towards the stunned monster ranks, cutting them down like wheat before a scythe as Leo and Thalia kept the majority of them too occupied with avoiding certain death, to ever hope to fight the other demigods as well.

The roaring sound of the lighting and fire ripping through the monster's ranks was unbelievable, and when it finally ended. The area around them was masked with a cloud of steam and debris the explosions had kicked into the air.

The sound of the storm and the distant battle at the roman encampment still rang about in the air. But the fierce shouts and screams of the monsters that they had been fighting moments before had stopped completely.

Thalia could barely stand after that display, her skin was steaming and each breath felt like she was inhaling fire.

Looking to her side she noticed Leo wasn't looking much better, he was soaked and panting heavily as a look of exhaustion was plastered across his face. "You gonna be able to keep up there? Hopefully that isn't all you've got" Thalia said as she struggled to keep her voice even, and not gasp for air between each word.

"Never… *cough* better… *cough*" Leo wheezed out as he waved one hand in her direction, the other rested on his knee as he tried to catch his breath.

"Good, this is just the start. Now lets go kick Clarisse's ass and get back to camp half-blood." Thalia said angrily as she walked towards Clarisse and the other Greeks. Only for Leo to stop her, his hand laid on her shoulder as he shook his head.

"No, No I have a better idea…." Leo said as his eyes lit up. "We go save the romans.. They won't hold out much longer without some support. They're completely surrounded and outnumbered."

"And how exactly do we convince Clarisse and Drew, who came here out for blood, that it's worth risking their lives for the Romans, Leo?" Thalia asked incredulously.

"Because it proves fifty Greeks are worth more than a couple hundred Romans." Leo said with a smirk. "Clarisse isn't stupid, she's not going to want to try and fight these monsters and the Romans. But she won't want to admit that in front of the group, you know what she's like, so give her an out Thalia." Leo finished as he stood up and took a deep breath.

Thalia had to admit it wasn't a half bad plan, there were almost fifty of them all together, and Thalia was sure that the monsters closer to the encampment wouldn't be expecting an attack from behind. The biggest issue would be actually convincing Clarisse to do it, she was pig headed and stubborn as they came.

"Let's say we convince Clarisse," Thalia said as she looked around at the cloud of debris and steam which was rapidly beginning to dissipate. "What's to say the Romans don't just turn on us?"

"Reyna and the others are already fighting, I know it and we both know that they wouldn't let it come to that." Leo fired back.

"That's if Reyna and the others are alive, you know and Octavian didn't kill them or imprison them the second they showed up" Thalia said angrily. "If I had known what that little shit had done before, I never would have agreed to my fathers demands. He's insane if he thinks the campers will just let this go." Thalia added with a note of desperation in her voice.

"Have a little faith Thalia…" Leo replied. "This is just the start, remember" He finished with a shit eating grin as Thalia groaned and walked away from him. Within thirty or forty seconds the steam and debris had cleared from the air, revealing the charred and broken mess that was the beach they had been battling on previously.

"You just get angry and let me handle the rest" Leo said with a wink as he nodded his head in Clarisse's direction, as she stood off to one side looking right at them.

Here and there Greek demigods walked about, dispatching any monsters who weren't fully dead yet as several sighted them approaching and waved them over. Shouts and cheers could be heard as Thalia picked up the pace.

Within thirty seconds she was standing in front of Clarisse, the murderous rage she was feeling must have been clearly displayed on her face as Clarrise actually looked nervous.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing Clarisse?!" Thalia half shouted at her as they got within arms reach. "You left the camp almost completely unprotected!" Thalia finished as she pointed her spear in the direction of camp half blood.

"I… I didn't …." Clarisse stuttered as she looked at Thalia.

"Didn't what Clarisse?" Thalia shouted, electricity arcing off her skin.

"I didn't know this was going to happen…" Clarisse said mutedly as she stared at the ground.

"I seem to remember that half of the camp counselors spoke out against this for this exact reason! We're at war!" Thalia shouted looking to her side as Leo gave a small nod and stepped forwards.

"Alright look, we can play the blame game all day and never get anywhere. What's done is done, but we still have a job to do…. The Romans need our Help" Leo said clearly and loudly as he looked at Clarisse.

Her eyes widened for a moment before the look of shock and guilt on her face was replaced by one of anger. "I'll admit I was wrong to lead the campers out here…. You were right.. But Fuck helping the Romans, the blood on their hands isn't even dry yet!" Clarisse shouted angrily as many of the other demigods nodded their heads in agreement.

Leo nodded sagely for a moment and then he started to pace back and forth, taking a deep breath before he spoke. "Reyna, Nico, Rachel and Frank, all members of the prophecy quest are currently fighting alongside the Romans in the camp." Leo said as he gestured towards the battle in the distance.

"They are risking their lives to prevent a war, one caused by the Romans assuming they are better than you. Are they right? Are you scared of them? Are they a threat to you!?" Leo demanded as he turned around to glare at the campers.

"NO! Each and every one of you is a Demigod, trained by Chiron himself! We are Greeks and perhaps it's time we showed the Romans what that really means!" Leo said as flames began to lick the edges of his clothing. A strange warmth filling the air and seeping into Thalia's bones, rejuvenating her as the son of Hephaestus began to speak again.

"We can end this conflict today! We can make a peace that will last generations, but it requires all of us to do something hard. The Romans are faltering, they need help and there isn't anyone else." Leo said, his voice ringing with conviction.

"So what if they need our help? Let them burn for all I care…" Came a shout from the crowd as several other demigods shouted their agreement.

"Is that really what you want? You want to watch more of your family die for nothing? These aren't our enemies, they are our brothers and sisters…. Our war isn't with them, Its with Gaea and the Titans." Leo replied angrily.

Thalia could almost sense the mood shifting among the demigods as some of them nodded their heads slowly in agreement.

Clarisse however was practically vibrating with rage. "So what? They get a free pass on all the blood they've spilled? Fuck that!" Clarisse shouted out as she stepped forwards, pointing a finger at Leo. "Why should I even bother to lift a finger to help them!?"

"Because Percy would…." Leo replied calmly as he stared at Clarisse.

Thalia had to admit, Leo had a talent for talking down Clarisse. His last comment had taken the wind right out of her sails as she looked at him in anger for a moment before she snorted and turned around looking back at the other Demigods.

"We have a choice to make here! Do we let the Romans fall because we were too arrogant to work with them? Or do we help them fend off Gaea's forces and fight as one for Olympus!?" Leo shouted out.

The crowd was silent for a moment.

Then slowly several demigods began to walk away from Clarisse and the others to stand beside Leo and Thalia.

"The gods call for peace, and they don't know what it is they are asking of us. I know… I find it just as hard to forgive their actions as all of you. But Leo is right, we need each other if we are going to stand against Gaea." Thalia said as she saw several of the demigods nodding in agreement.

Clarisse looked stiff and uncomfortable but even Thalia could tell Leo was getting through to her. That's when disaster struck.

"Your best friends with Jason punk, he's a roman by birth so why should we trust you!?" Drew shouted out as she threw her helmet off to the side and walked towards Leo with her sword drawn.

"Because he's Roman, but I'm Greek. I'm trusting him and the other Romans to make this right, I wont judge all of them based on the actions of a few, no matter how horrific those actions were." Leo replied as he drew his small hammer from the loop on his belt.

Spinning it over in his hand as the flames which licked the edges of his clothing erupting into an inferno and fully engulfed him. The wave of heat that washed over the demigods around him was intense enough to make several of them flinch away.

Drew looked at him nervously but didn't seem to have a response to his claim.

"Tonight we make our ancestors proud! Tonight we show Gaea and the Romans what a fifty Greek Demigods can really do, and when Gaea sees us she's going to be shaking in her dirt filled slippers! NOW WHOS WITH ME!?" Leo shouted out as Thalia couldn't help but crack into a grin.

The roar of dozens of Demigods shouting out in anger as swords and spears were thrust into the air filled the night.

"Gia ton Olmypo!" Thalia shouted as she lifted her spear into the air, a crack of lighting illuminating the darkness as she and Leo looked over the small force of demigods around them.

For a moment there was silence and then every one of the demigods present save for drew thrust their weapons into the air and roared out the war cry.

Each and every one of them had determination and a fierce pride stamped across their faces as they clutched their weapons tight in their hands, and for a moment, no matter how brief. Thalia actually felt bad for the monsters between them and the Romans.

Thalia looked at Leo and nodded to him as she re-extended aegis and turned towards the roman camp. Setting off at a brisk jog as she headed towards the rear of the enemy lines. Fifty Greek demigods running behind her with weapons drawn.

Percy 4 Days and 55 Minutes after Eripus

Percy opened his eyes, feeling the rain splattering against his face as he slowly regained consciousness. Everything hurt, in fact Percy was pretty sure this was what a hangover was supposed to feel like, not that he'd ever had one, but the mind numbing headache accompanied by cold sweats and aches seemed pretty spot on..

He was lying on his back, staring up at the canopy of trees above him as he slowly began to move his body, first a twitch in his hand or foot. This continued for several seconds before Percy rolled forwards to sit up, his vision spinning as a wave of nausea washed over him before he forced himself to stand up.

Normally it would have been a clean motion, one he had practiced thousands of times. Yet, he barely managed to get to his feet let alone stand, the energy he had spent on the storm and his battle with the Titans had evidently been more substantial than he had believed at first he thought to himself.

The clearing was quiet, the storm he had created seemed to have dissipated when he had finally passed out.

Percy knew he wasn't alone in the clearing, and even through the pain in his head, Percy was aware of that fact as he stretched out his senses. He could feel the man sitting roughly twenty feet behind him.

He could 'see' the moment the man looked up and started watching him. Yet the man said nothing as he watched Percy's back. Percy let loose a ragged sigh as he realized he had neither Riptide or the sword Nyx had given him within his possession.

Reaching out with one hand, waiting for Nyx's sword to fly back into his grasp, however after several seconds his hand was still empty as he grunted in frustration.

"Looking for these?" A strange exotic sounding voice from behind him as Percy finally turned around to actually look at whoever was keeping him company within the clearing. The figure sat on a tree stump, casually watching Percy.

The man was older, probably in his early fifties, maybe his late forties by Percy's guess. He wore what may have at one point been a stunningly well crafted gray three piece suit. But as of right now it more closely resembled rags after having been put through the shredder.

The man was leaning heavily on his right leg, one of his hands pressed against his side, where even now Percy could see the blood soaking the fabric of his jacket. His blue eyes were intense as they watched Percy, and even wounded as he was he exuded an aura of danger. Riptide sat on the ground at his feet, as did the shattered remains of the sword Nyx had given to him.

It looked like someone had smashed glass against concrete. The sword was in a dozen pieces, the entire thing warped and bent. Now all the remaining of the once powerful blade was a few shards of obsidian colored metal and a handle.

Riptide seemed to have fared better, simply being covered in mud and a fair bit of gore Percy noted grimly. "And if I am? What then?" Percy replied darkly as he walked towards the man.

"Well, perhaps we would be forced to have an exchange of words, most specifically my words for your time, and when I'm done you'll get the sword back. The man said as he gestured to the riptide."

"I'm not in the mood to play games, so let me be clear. If you want to fight you're in for a very shit day, I'll even give you the first shot…" Percy replied darkly as he stopped in front of the man. "Unless you've figured out something several gods and six dead titans seem incapable of doing you won't be able to kill me… So how about you give me my sword and get out of my way" Percy finished angrily.

His outburst was met with silence as the man remained seated on the stump, letting out a short bark of laughter as he looked up to the sky. "You're so much like her you know that?" the man said, leaving Percy incredibly confused.

"What? Who are you talking about?" Percy asked.

"Your mother, Sallira…. Although I'm sure you didn't know her by that name. Just like I'm sure you don't know who I am…" the man said with a sigh.

"Well then lets start with that… who the fuck are you?" Percy almost growled out as he looked at the man.

The man responded with a barking laugh, which slowly turned to a wheeze as he coughed a small amount of blood up and winced. "Dwethir" He grunted in pain as his hand glowed briefly and he pressed it into his side, a brief look of relief crossing his features before he resumed talking.

"You definitely inherited your mothers fire, Perseus. But do an old man a favor, it's been sixteen years since I've seen my grandson's face. Take the helmet off and sit with me for a few moments." he finished with a half smile as he looked up at Percy.

"How do you know my.." Percy froze mid sentence as he processed what the man had actually said. His hands shook ever so slightly as he stared at the injured man. "My mothers parents died in a plane crash, stop lying and tell me who you are." Percy said in anger.

"If only it were a lie Perseus, but your hesitation too believe me is expected. A strange man you've never met claiming to be your long lost relative…" The man chuckled softly before letting out a long sigh. "Sallira certainly didn't make this easy for me. Give me a few moments more of your time. If you choose to leave and not believe what I say then I wont do anything to stop you."

Percy looked at the older man calmly for a moment, he couldn't sense any Titan or Godly auras nearby. Just the man in front of him who radiated power, like a light in the darkness. Slowly Percy reached up and removed his helmet, holding it in one hand as he nodded. "Start talking."

"I've lived a long life, the path I was chosen to walk was lonely and long, far too long, Perseus. It has left with few family and friends, and many enemies. So we shall leave it at that. But my relationship with Sallira was complicated, we were incredibly close for years. Until we weren't." He said sadly, "She wanted to be as far away from our world as possible. So when she ran and took you with her, I respected her choice. Until today that is…."

Percy took a minute to look over the man as he noticed the injuries were clearly from some sort of sword fight, not to mention there were numerous burn marks all over the man. No, not burn marks, scorch marks. Percy had been zapped by Thalia often enough to know what it looked like when lighting had hit someone.

It was like everything snapped into focus suddenly, nothing else mattered but the next few words out of his mouth.

"I've lost so many to the Gods over the years… i'm almost surprised it hurts as bad as it does…" the man said in an exhausted voice as he looked at the ground, the look of pain on his face plain as day. "By the time I got there it was over, I assumed the demigods were there to protect her, but they attacked me, stopping me from getting to Sallira before it was too late…"

"Her husband Paul was already dead when I got there, and I tried to save your sister from them, I swear…. But I was unsuccessful… One of the demigods used charm speak on me and the other one stabbed me." The man said with a grunt of pain as he applied more pressure to his side.

"Paul is dead… my mother is dead and they took my s-sister?" Percy said in shock as he looked at the older man who simply nodded in reply

Percy stood perfectly still, his eyes wide as a dull roaring echoed in his mind, like a scream of denial as he stared at the older man. "... talk now…and i swear nothing will save you from me if you lie to me" Percy said flatly as he struggled to keep the powers Eko and Thaye had blessed him with under control as thousands of voices started to scream in his head, like nails down a chalkboard the voices drowned out all else beyond the thoughts for vengeance as he struggled to remain calm and in control.

"Calm Perseus, I am not your enemy…." The man said as he gestured to one of the fallen trees beside him. Percy shook his head slightly as he glared down at him, his hands clenched tightly into fists.

"Very well, perhaps introductions are in order… Although, I never thought the day would come when I would be forced to introduce myself, on pain of death, to my own grandson." The man said with a deep chuckle, before he winced and clutched at his side in pain. "It would be unwise to use my name, as there are many who consider me and those I hold within my circle of acquaintances as enemies of the realms. So for now you may refer to me as Cal, although I would certainly prefer you call me Grandfather."

"G-grandfather, yea probably not you crazy bastard… My Mom said that her parents died in a plane crash, why would she lie to me!?" Percy said as he took a step backwards.

"It's a complicated story, Perseus, but since it's you who asked… I have many enemies; the Olympians and several gods, as well as more immortals than I could possibly hope to remember." He took a deep breath before continuing, "It was a necessary deception in order to hide her identity from the world, no child deserves to be hunted simply for the blood which flows in their veins."

"Bullshit! She wouldn't have lied to me about this!" Percy declared angrily.

"Just like Sallira revealed your heritage to you?" Cal said softly as he looked past Percy.

As much as Percy didn't want to admit it, that had shaken him to his core, that very thought had been bothering him for the last month. Ever since his first introduction to the tartari who had revealed his heritage to him, unveiling that he was a descendant of some ancient magical bloodline. If only he had known, he could have been prepared. If he had known maybe none of this would have happened, because he could have done more, he could have been more.

"S-she must have had her reasons.." Percy responded quietly.

"As did I" Cal fired back almost instantly from his seat on the tree stump.

"Alright so you expect me to believe you're my long lost grandfather who was just absent my entire life? Only to show up now and tell me my mother is dead?" Percy asked with only a hint of fear in his voice.

"You can believe me or not, I won't force you to do anything Perseus, but you deserve the chance to choose a path. Sallira… Sally took that from you when she sealed your powers and hid your heritage. I only seek to give my grandson a fighting chance… The Gods took advantage of your mothers trust… I won't let the same happen to her son.``

"If you are my grandfather why weren't you there!? Why did you abandon her? Abandon me?" Percy almost screamed in frustration. Thinking back on the hell his childhood had been with Gabe.

"Because your mother was hiding from all of us, Gods and Ardwyr alike. I would never have abandoned her by choice or you for that matter. She hid her powers for seventeen years, denying who she really was all in the hope that you could live your life in blissful ignorance. Fearing that at any minute her deception would be discovered and both you and her would be killed by your father and his family" Cal answered.

"For me to intervene, break those wards and find her. It would only have both of you in danger of being discovered. It was only when tonight that she used her powers and broke her own wards trying to save Paul that I was able to finally track her down" He finished quietly.

"Your mother was a powerful channeler, in fact she was one of the strongest channelers I've ever met. Yet she grew to believe that the only way we could end the cycle of violence with the Gods was to end it. For us to not seek vengeance over the fate of our people."

"She devoted her time to finding some sort of solution to the war between our people. Then one day she just disappeared, leaving a letter telling us that she couldn't be a part of a war against Olympus any longer."

"I couldn't, wouldn't accept that, and I wish dearly that I had been able to. But nonetheless Sallira chose to leave our life behind shortly after she had you." Cal finished as he slowly stood up, his large frame leaving him standing at nearly six foot four.

He slowly walked towards Percy and laid a hand on his shoulder as his piercing blue eyes bored directly into Percy's.

"I never wanted us to meet this way, but drastic times have called for drastic measures…. Sallira's blood, that of all our people is on the Olympian's hands… and they deserve vengeance." Cal said as he let go of Percy's shoulder and then coughed slightly as Percy looked down.

Only to see him holding Riptide pommel first towards him.

"... h-how do I know you're telling the truth…" Percy said as he grasped at any straw, anything that meant his mother wasn't murdered in cold blood… that his father and the other Olympians hadn't done the unthinkable the sudden wave of mind numbing nausea washed over him as he backed away from the man.

Riptide hung limply in his hand as he tried to find the conviction in his body to deny Cal's accusations, to deny that they were related.

But he couldn't, deep down he knew what the man was saying was the truth, even if he didn't want to believe him.

"I have no reason to lie to you Perseus, Your mother was betrayed by the Gods. One of them sold her out to Gaea, in return for peace. Gaea wanted to use your blood to rise, but the blood of your mother will do just as well…" he finished as he looked away from Percy. "And I swear on the Styx that what I just told you is the truth."

Even if it was faint Percy felt the strange sensation, like a cold breeze against his skin as the words rang out and a faint rumble of thunder was heard in the distance.

The exhaustion he had felt vanished in an instant. Replaced by a rage unlike anything he had ever felt before.

Percy didn't notice the ground crack and warp under his feet, he didn't notice several trees nearby shatter under the pressure his aura was exerting as his sea green aura burst into existence around him.

"Who?" Percy said, his voice deadly calm as he stared at his grandfather with the intensity of a wolf, barely noticing the power he put behind those words.

"I don't know the names of the demigods who attacked me…" Cal said with another cough as he wiped a small amount of blood away from his lips. His hands glowing slightly as he pressed them to his side, and Percy could feel the strange sensation as someone used Aetherium.

Percy stood still for a moment as the air around him grew incredibly cold, the powers Thaye and Eko had gifted him quickly escaping his control as he struggled to reign in his emotions. Ice was creeping across the ground around him rapidly, turning plants, trees and even a few unfortunate animals into ice sculptures; the green light radiating off his body reflected off the ice ominously.

With deadly calm Percy turned away from Cal, looking out over the forest of ice.

"Nothing? You don't remember anything about them!?" Percy roared as he looked at the ice as the temperatures plunged around him. "What good does any of this do me!?"

"Oh I remember them well enough, two girls and one boy. One of them had darker hair with some sort of feather in it. The other two were blonde haired, although they had different eye colors." came the slow explanation as his breathing seemed to get easier, he was clearly healing himself with Aetheirum. "The girls were gray or blue and the boys were definitely blue." Cal finished with a huff.

Percy froze, if he had been eager to hear what Cal had to say, now he was dreading it. Those descriptions could be anyone he thought to himself in a panic as his breath caught in his throat.

There had to be dozens of blonde demigods, and maybe he got their eye color wrong, because no matter what happened she was the one person who wouldn't do this to him.

Annabeth wouldn't… she knew what his mother meant to him… what Paul and his sister meant to him.

"I also have this, the boy left it in my side when he stabbed me…" Cal said as he ever so casually produced a golden gladius.

Jason's Gladius.

For a moment Percy just stared at the sword as the implications of the man's words ran through his head.

Then with a scream of rage the forest around Percy flattened outwards, a blast of sea green energy ripping outwards from Percy in an instant as he lost control of his emotions. Shards of Ice flew about the air in a frenzy as the skies crackled and lightning flashed across the sky.

The ground rumbled and cracked, what remained of the forest was being uprooted by the fierce winds as another storm cell began to form around Percy.

The voices of thousands screaming in his mind, calling for vengeance and death to the Olympians as Percy stood in the rain, tears streaming down his face. He clutched at his head in pain, both emotional and mental. The voices wouldn't stop, the Tartarii's blessings were raging against him and he couldn't think.

He could feel his domain wrecking havoc as he lost control, he was alone in this world. Trapped in a whirlwind of voices, accompanied by the howls of the great pack. He felt like he was being driven mad.

He just needed a moment to think!

Percy could vaguely tell what was going on, almost like he was watching someone else as he felt his powers spiraling out of control. His mother was gone, so was Paul, and the little sister he hadn't even met yet, was stolen from him all the same.

Those of the great pack who had joined him had broken away from the fighting, and the sound of the storm was accompanied by the howls of hundreds of hellhounds filled the air. Their song was dark and beautiful as they mourned alongside their master. The grief and anger he felt tearing at his insides was pouring off in waves, affecting his domain in the process.

It was as if something had broken inside him, he couldn't take the voices anymore.

Almost unconsciously he looked down at Riptide, the sword he had been given by his father. A sword that spoke of his loyalty and allegiance to Olympus. "I'm sorry Zoë…." Percy whispered to himself as he looked up at the sky, the black clouds hiding the stars from sight.

Then with agonizing slowness he released his grip on the hilt, letting Riptide drop to the muddy ground. A million thoughts racing through his mind as Percy frantically tried to come up with an explanation for what Cal was telling him.

But no matter how he tried, Percy couldn't come up with anything other than the hard facts Cal had presented, Which didn't leave much room for the imagination, and the fact that his sister might share the same fate as her parents was more than he could handle right now.

How much more did the Olympians plan to take from him he thought miserably, he had already lost most of his childhood to saving them time and time again from their own messes. Just this year alone he had lost nearly six months of his life to Hera and her memory manipulation.

Now his family was forfeit as well, for nothing more than their shared heritage.

"There may still be time to save her Perseus… your sister isn't dead yet. But I don't know how long it will stay that way. You don't have to let them do this, you don't have to let them do anything…" Cal said slowly as he looked at Percy.

A pained smile split Percy's face as he laughed mirthlessly "How exactly? I don't know where they are… and if they get to the gods before I catch up then my sister is as good as dead anyway…."

Percy felt like someone had ripped his insides out, leaving him hollow and empty. It was almost as if he was watching this happen to someone else. Watching someone else's entire world collapse around them.

"Why… why would they do this…" Percy said in shock as he stared at Cal, Percy needed answers desperately and at this point he didn't care who gave them.

"Perseus, you are destined to be far stronger than I or any other member of our family could ever hope to have been. The blood in your veins runs pure with that of the first lady. Few gods can claim that. In fact only the primordial's share that claim with you" Cal replied calmly.

"You are not some simple mortal, the world is yours to command with a word, you simply need to seize that power for yourself Perseus. Show the world what the last son of the Ardwyr is capable of." His grandfather added, before he coughed several times in rapid succession.

Crimson blood with flecks of silver splattering across the ground and his breath resumed raggedly.

Percy stepped forwards cautiously, watching as once again Cal muttered some words and placed his glowing hand against the wound. When he noticed Percy's stare he sighed.

"Imperial gold still hurts us just the same, if not worse than demigods…." he grunted out as the strange silver light around his hand intensified before he pressed it against his side once more.

"Listen Perseus, you need to be careful. The Olympians fear and hate our kind… there can be no peace with them, there is no ceasefire they will respect. They proved as much when they turned their sights on Sallira. I won't tell you what to do, but if you ask I will give you the aid you need to ensure your sister lives to see tomorrow, it's the least I can do for you… I owe you much more than that for failing to save her" Cal said slowly, finishing and standing there still as a statue, waiting for Percy's response.

Percy thought for a moment, torn between his loyalty to his friend and Olympus and the rage he felt at the thought of his sister meeting the same fate his mother had met. Needless to say he didn't need long to decide, the Gods had forced his hand.

"What do I need to do, Cal… ? Tell me… I'll do whatever I need to as long as my sister is alive when it's all over. She's all I've got left" Percy growled out as he looked at Cal.

Percy was too busy thinking about what he was going to have to do for him to notice the smile that split his grandfather's face for a moment. Then he casually pulled a large silver ring off of his finger.

Tossing it in the air casually to Percy, whose hand snapped out like a pit viper. Catching the ring midair as he looked at his grandfather curiously.

"Our family history rivals that of the Olympians themselves, and you stand as the last in a long line of warrior kings. The power you will one day wield will make the very gods tremble in your wake. Of this I have no doubt, but you still lack a proper method to channel Aetherium, and the knowledge of our language."

His grandfather gestured towards the ring as it shimmered with silver light for a moment before the sudden weight in Percy's hand nearly made him drop the weapon.

The ring in his hand had replaced itself with a large silver hand and a half blade. The metal was a dull silver color that was speckled with flecks of gold. The hilt was set with a singular sapphire, which had to be the size of a child's fist, sparkling with light.

The sword was marked with runes along the blood channel on both sides, and even if Percy couldn't read it, he knew it was Old Ardwyrian, he could practically feel the energy the sword radiated as he held it. The cross guard consisted of two intricately wrought metal wolves, mid leap.

The sword was beautiful, and nothing else described it better than that word. Not to mention that it felt perfect in Percy's hand, the blade was heavy, but nothing that he couldn't handle given his newfound strength.

"That blade has been in our family for generations, and unlike either of these it won't break under the strain you will no doubt put it through." Then he reached into the pocket of his suit jacket and fished out a small book and a large brass key fitted to a leather cord.

"I get the sword but what is this for?" Percy asked angrily as he looked at the book and key before turning his gaze back towards his grandfather. The voices in his mind were screaming louder and louder with each passing second and Percy was finding it harder and harder to stay focused.

"You are powerful Perseus, but when it comes to our language and powers, the mastery of both is needed. The book will teach you much of what your mother failed too, and the sword will keep you alive until we have a chance to meet again." His grandfather said sadly, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he looked at Percy.

"What do you mean 'until we meet again?'" Percy asked haltingly as he looked at his grandfather.

"I can't stay much longer, I already risk too much in being gone as long as I have." He had a faraway look in his eye as he spoke, "But I have one final gift for you Perseus, a gift of knowledge. One that I hope will keep you alive long enough for you to learn how to master your powers." His grandfather said in a matter of fact tone of voice before he reached out and laid his free hand on Percy's forehead.

A silver light filled his vision as Percy felt an immense amount of Aetherium being gathered, however when his grandfather released his hold on the Aetherium Percy like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

It burned, but Percy had experienced far worse in the last month he had spent in Tartarus, so he grit his teeth and refused to bend, if this pain was all it took for him to save his sister then he would suffer in silence. Runes flashing before his eyes faster than he could recall, yet for each rune he saw words just floated into his head.

He knew what the runes meant almost intrinsically, and his grandfather watched the whole process with a ghost of a smile on his face.

Finally after what felt like a few moments the pain faded leaving Percy gasping for breath as he released his clenched muscles.

"Perseus, I have to take my leave of you. Not by my own choice I assure you, but if I leave it much longer Gaea will be the least of our worries." His grandfather said seriously as he looked at Percy.

"I have no doubt you will make your mother proud, your sister couldn't have asked for a more capable older brother. Now show the Gods why they were fools to turn on you, show them what Perseus Achilles Artorian is really made of…"

"...Artorian?" Percy asked in confusion, a sudden rush of understanding filling his mind as he looked at his grandfather, "The Shieldborn?" Perseus said incredulously.

"I have no doubt you will live up to the name someday Perseus" Cal said casually as he stepped backwards and vanished, simply fading from view before Percy's eyes. Leaving him alone in the destroyed clearing

For a moment Percy stood still, not caring to do anything but bask in the fury of the storm which raged around him. The hellhounds he had brought with him had clustered around the clearing, their eyes averted and tails down as the power of their master washed over them.

"Find them…." Percy growled out in anger as he looked around the clearing, "Lay a single fang or claw on any of them and I will rip you to pieces myself"

Not a single hellhound made a sound, the only sign they had heard him was the intensity in their sea green eyes. "Go.. find my sister…" Percy said as he reached down and grabbed riptide from the mud.

Like bullets from a gun, the hellhounds raced outwards, disappearing into the shadows as they took off in search of their master's Prey. Percy on the other hand didn't need to go chase his prey, it was time he left a message for the gods.

How so much had changed, how so much had gone wrong in the last few hours Percy had no idea.

Angry didn't describe what he felt, he was so angry he was calm. His breath slow and even as he reached out and drew on his powers. The exhaustion that had driven him to his knees just minutes ago had been replaced by fury.

His eyes were locked into a fierce thousand yard glare as he turned and headed towards the Greek camp. The ground froze with each step he took as ice raced across the ground around him.

He moved through the ruined forest, passing by shattered trees without a spare thought for the damage he had caused. The rain gradually turned to snow around him as the storm continued unabated, simply changing to match the mood of its master.

He crossed the field, looking around at the devastation he had wrought just minutes before, the golden dust mixed in with the mud. Hundreds of weapons left abandoned by their owners on the ground. Yet even still, monsters rushed around the area, some looting spoils, others looking for easy prey amongst the looters.

Then there was Percy.

He walked past a dracanae, who turned and hissed in his direction, only to receive an ironclad sandal to the face. The impact launched the dracane back towards the ground, sending mud and dirt flying in every direction as it flopped pathetically in the quagmire of golden dust and mud.

Its head completely crushed as it rapidly dissolved into dust, just like so many of its fellow monsters had within the last hour.

The area around Thalia's tree was a warzone, arrows rained from the sky and blasts of fire and shrapnel screamed out suddenly as the Hephaestus cabin worked their magic, explosives and traps going off in rapid succession to deadly effect. But the devastation the demigods were wreaking on the remains of the monster arm paled in comparison to what Percy was going to do.

Lifting one hand suddenly the temperature in the immediate area plummeted as ice began to race across the ground, even forming on some of the monster's bare skin as they howled in pain.

A low wail rose from the ranks of monsters ahead of him as several of the monsters at the rear turned and spotted his approach. The instant he was recognized, monsters started trying to run by the dozen, but Percy wasn't having that. If he hadn't been here, if he hadn't been forced to protect the campers maybe he would have been able to save his mother, he thought to himself in a rage as dozens of monsters froze in their tracks.

Percy was wreathed in sea green light, like a torch in the darkness as the ranks of the monsters caught in battle before him were illuminated. Their terrified faces clearly put on display as he reached out with his powers. Feeling the blood pulsing in the monster's veins.

Then he pulled.

Not one at a time and not gently, his eyes crackling with power as the screams of the monsters intensified. All at once dozens of them dropped to their knees, blood exploding from every orifice on their body. It streamed down their faces in rivulets and poured from their mouths and eyes.

Percy didn't let up, his rage knowing no bounds as he tore at the army with his powers, like a ravenous beast he ripped the life from everything that moved. From anything that got in between him and his target.

The war cries from the demigods atop Thalia's hill turned to shouts of fear and confusion as the horde of monsters continued to drop dead all around them.

The ground was alive with a red tide of blood as it sloshed across the already sodden dirt, which was too soaked to absorb anymore. The smell of blood hung heavy in the air as Percy waded through the horde of monsters, blood spraying in fountains around him as he used his powers devastated Gaea's remaining forces.

A particularly large trio of giants ran at him, their speed surprising him as he was forced to use his sword, holding it in one hand as he spun around, swinging it horizontally at the waist of the first Giant.

Only to actually gasp in surprise as it tore through the monster's torso like it was made of tissue paper. The giant died so fast the look of pain didn't even register on its face before its upper body soared over Percy's head and slammed into the muddy ground.

However Percy didn't have time to waste as he turned his body to the side, avoiding the massive club that slammed into the ground beside him as he quickly lifted his sword to block a blow from the other one.

Grunting in frustration at the time he was wasting fighting with the fodder he forced his sword up and away from his body with a quick jerk. Knocking one of the giants off balance as he lifted his free hand in the direction of the second one and crushed his hand into a fist.

Seizing control of the blood in the monster's heart as he did so, crushing the organ beyond repair as the giant clutched at its chest in pain before dropping dead at his feet. The remaining Giant looked at him in fear as it started to walk away from him.

However Percy wasn't in the mood to be merciful, dashing forwards in an instant as he thrust his sword out ahead of him impaling the giant in the stomach as it screamed out in pain. However Percy wasn't done yet, suddenly the blade grew heavy with frost as mist rolled off of it.

The giant's scream cut off midway when its lungs froze solid, it trashed for a few moments more before its heart and throat froze over. Within seconds its entire upper body had been covered in a crystalized layer of frost.

Then with a savage jerk Percy ripped the sword free of its chest, grinning with satisfaction as the giant broke apart like a statue, chunks of frozen flesh and blood splattering against the ground as he casually shoved the giant over backwards.

A feral growl escaped his lips as he burst into movement, his sword a blur around him as he dashed through the last of the monsters between him and the foot of the hill. Leaving nothing behind him but broken corpses and blood as he lost himself to the frenzy of battle.

Dozens of weapons glanced off of his armor, or were blocked by his sword as he moved through the army. One of the Cyclops's decided its best course of action was to tackle Percy to the ground and pin his arms against his body in the process.

However it greatly underestimated Percy's strength as the second its arms wrapped around his chest from behind Percy snapped his head backwards.

Driving the metal helmet he wore directly into the monster's face, the creature let loose a weak gurgling cry as blood poured down Percy's face. Obscuring his vision momentarily as he kicked out with his feet in front of himself, grinning in satisfaction as they connected with something or someone. Sending it hurtling away from him through the massed ranks of monsters.

With a roar of anger his aura pulsed out around him as he threw the monster holding him backwards.

That's when Percy noticed how quiet it had gotten, the screaming sound of the storm was all that remained as he glanced around him in shock.

The entire army lay lifeless on the ground around him, and Percy himself was covered in more blood than he had ever felt possible. It was in his hair, it soaked through his clothing under the armor.

It dripped from his hands and sword as he stood still, taking a deep breath in as he slowly regained his focus, feeling himself regain some modicum of control as he glanced at the demigods who were still standing on the hill.

All of them were looking at him in fear, they all looked like deer caught in the headlights as he casually walked up the hill towards the camp.

"HALT!" A female voice cried out, as he looked up to see one of the last people he wanted to see standing in front of him.

Hazel, surrounded by hunters and several other campers.

"Who are you!?" Hazel shouted as she leveled her imperial gold sword in his direction.

Percy looked at her as the anger in his chest roared back to life, did she know? Had she been part of the Gods plan the whole time? Percy all but snarled in frustration as he stopped halfway up the hill.

"Get out of my way…. I have business with your Gods" He said as his voice took on that harsh grating quality he used when he commanded the Aetherium.

Hazel stood still as a statue as she looked at the huntresses beside her, who were slowly placing arrows on their bowstrings.

"That would be a very bad idea…. I have no desire to fight with any of you.." Percy said darkly as he looked at the demigods. This was about as bad as it could have gotten, he had a job to do. And his friends and family were standing between him and that job.

Worst of all it was something he had to do for their own benefit, why couldn't they just get out of his way he thought angrily. Gripping his sword tightly in one hand as he took another step up the hill.

That's when an arrow slammed into his shoulder as he stumbled back with a cry of pain. Followed by two more in rapid succession which he barely deflected.

His eyes turned in shock as he looked to see Chiron, standing off to the side away from the demigods with his bow drawn. A look of fury on his face as he notched another arrow. "You won't hurt a single one of these children!" Chiron roared as he unleashed another volley of arrows at Percy.

Immediately Percy went on the defensive, doing his best not to let the huntresses or Chiron turn him into a pincushion.

However that's when he felt it, Percy's eyes whipped around as he felt the sudden aura flare up. One he recognized.

An Olympian, and one he held absolutely no love for.

A flash of Golden light washed across the combatants as Dionysus appeared in battle armor, clutching his strange pine cone staff in one hand as he looked at Percy. A look of worry and fear was plastered across his face

The wine Gods appearance was followed immediately by another, as a blast of silver moonlight descended on the battlefield. Revealing Artemis standing atop the hill near all of her Hunters as she glared down at him.

"Surrender now and your death will be quick Ardwyrian…. You can't stand against the Gods of Olympus Mortal…" Artemis said, her voice filled with arrogance and anger as she drew her two hunting knives. "But by all means resist if you want, After all the death and destruction you caused I'll be happy to end your life…" the goddess of the hunt finished with a hiss as she glared at him.

Another surge of energy Alerted him to yet another combatant arriving on the field as he glanced over his shoulder to see Athena, fully clad in armor as she stood in front of him. The original Aegis clutched in her right hand and her spear in the left.

Percy wasn't even surprised, of course the gods would come to put an end to him once he had dealt with the other threats. It was exactly what his grandfather had warned him of he thought to himself angrily.

"So was this always the plan? Fight me three on one? Why not do it sooner, or was I useful alive until now?" Percy growled out as he drew Riptide from its sheath across his back once more.

"Where did you get that?" Athena asked angrily as he felt the pressure in the air mounting, dozens of bows were notched with arrows and pointing in his direction and he had several angry gods waiting to fight.

"A demigod who followed you blindly left it behind, he doesn't need it anymore so I figured it was about time I brought it back." Percy snarled in reply as he spun both swords over in his hands, Preparing for a fight.

"When we bring you before the council in Chains they will have questions for you, before Zeus kills you that is, and my uncle will be most interested to hear what part you played in his son's death!" Athena cried out in anger as she rushed forward with her spear leading the way.

Almost as if they timed it, Artemis exploded into motion, flying towards him with a scream of rage from the top of the hill as Percy's aura surged to life around him once more.

The dull slap of arrows being fired from bows rang out as suddenly the ground shook and hundreds of gallons of water exploded into the air around Percy. Blasting many of the demigods off their feet as both Athena and Artemis stumbled away from him.

Percy stood, his swords glowing sea green as the water swirled around him in the air.

Then with a wave of his hand the demigods rocketed away from him, flying backwards with screams of terror as his command over the blood in their veins allowed him to throw them clear of the impending crossfire.

He couldn't begin to imagine how much it hurt to be yanked around by your blood. But he needed the demigods as far away from this fight as possible. He might not have a bone to pick with them, but the Olympians were a different story.

If he had to beat it out of them, one of them was going to tell him who had called for his mothers death, Percy thought to himself furiously as Athena and Artemis launched themselves at him once more.

Yet none of the combatants noticed the faint bell-like toll that rang out as the younger Olympians clashed blades with the last son of the Ardwyr.

Authors Notes:

Okay guys, wow that took way too long for me to publish and I'm sorry about that. Between being busy at work and not being happy with the first few drafts of this chapter really made it take forever. But it's here now!

I was way too hopeful about the length of the first arc and I'm slowly coming to the realization that it'll probably be closer to thirty chapters when it's all said and done. With that said, the question becomes should I publish Shadows rise in 3 parts? As separate titles? Or should I keep it as a singular book until it's actually complete, which as i stated above could be a year or more. (That's if I keep up this crazy update schedule, which I plan to…. Hopefully lol)

So Annabeth and Piper had a bit of a heart to heart, and perhaps Annabeth can have a little faith going forwards, she's been through alot and she's still no closer to getting Percy back.

Starting to see some changes in Leo as he's trying to live up to the Ideal that Percy set for the Demigods. They need someone to lead the way and he's desperately trying to fill that role. Hestia's powers over hope have definitely helped him so far, but can he inspire them like Percy did?

A common theme that's starting to show up among some of the older demigods is how little faith they have in the gods. The crimes they commited are costing the lives of dozens of demigods and many of the members in the prophecy are starting to have doubts.

And obviously the big fish from this chapter, What is Percy going to do? So far he's only got one side of the story, albeit one that wasn't entirely truthful. His grandfather took care to not actually lie to his face. Instead giving him bits and pieces of the story.

How is Percy going to react? The Gods are ready to fight to protect their children and view him as a risk, they see him as a threat. The only difference is now he isn't sure if he needs to view them as a threat. Unfortunately for the Gods their actions aren't helping their case.

Obviously things are starting to come to their climactic finish for this Arc and while it might still be a few chapters away I hope everyone is enjoying the build up.

A few questions for you guys this chapter:

Should I complete this 'book' after arc 1 and start fresh with a new book from the following arcs?

What PoV do you guys want to see that I haven't used yet?

As always I wanted to thank anyone who takes the time to read, review, fav or follow. It means alot to me and I read every review religiously. I love that people enjoy reading my writing and promise to make sure I continue to release quality chapters. (Hopefully on time moving forwards)

Now, here's to a lack of future writers' block! Stay tuned to see the final part of the Percys battle with the Titans from Leo's Perspective. And a flashback from Hestia concerning the events in Anatolia!?

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and as always! Until next time!

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